Only children are rude and inconsiderate apparently!

Sorry, feel the need to have a bit of a rant! I was chatting with a friend yesterday. She was telling me about two teenage girls she knows. One is kind, polite, considerate, the other is rude, inconsiderate, and generally not very nice. Apparently "Its because she is an only child, you can really tell the difference!" Is it just me that finds this bloody annoying. Should I just give up trying to teach DS to be a decent polite member of society as he is an only child so it is a foregone conclusion that is how he will turn out? Aargh!

I am not an only and have 2 children. However, my DD's best friend is an only child. they're 15 and I've just had the friend away on holidays with us for 10 days. Def not spoilt despite being from a very financially comfortable home and materialistically having above the average. that happens to be her circumstances. her behavior was not spoilt, and not anti-social. I'm also a pre-school teacher. I've had the brattish kids. Sometimes they're only kids, sometimes middle kids, sometimes eldest, sometimes youngest.... in other words individuals and products of their own circumstances and parenting style used by their family.

I have a daughter and a son and what I get from people is that when they do something different from one another it's because they're a girl or because they're a boy. It's not just those reasons. it's because they're not copies of one another and have their own likes and dislikes and personalities. same with an only child - their personalities are not only because of family circumstances but so much else as well.

Agree that children being polite, sharing etc is about good parenting and not how many siblings you have.Your friend is not only talking nonsense but is being ignorant, prejudiced and offensive. i hope you picked her up on this.

I agree with Primrose. I'm an only child and whilst my parents weren't overly strict (they were strict on some things, weirdly lax about other things) I was certainly not spoilt and was expected to always be polite and to respect my elders. A lot of people have actually expressed surprise over the years that I'm an only child because apparently I don't come across as an only (whatever that means).

I had a "friend" in secondary school who was one of seven children and she was the most selfish, spoilt and entitled person I've ever met. She was constantly ordering me around and expected us to do whatever she wanted to do. She didn't care what I thought, it was all about her. I know at least two of her siblings were the same way.

I'm not going to put it down to her being from a big family though. I put it down to the way her parents raised her. Obviously her parents raised her to be an over entitled cow, hence why at least two of her siblings were the same way. She would have been the same even if she'd been an only child. Just like my parents would have still raised me to be polite and well mannered even if I'd had siblings. That's ultimately what it's down to. The parents.

My ds is 5. He is more polite than my sisters kids. He does get more as a result of being an only. This is in return for good behaviour. He doesn't get his own way all the time. He understands he has to earn nice things.

It's a totally ignorant, spurious bollocks judgement. Everyone with half a brain cell knows that. Refuse to engage with and change the subject if it happens again, or failing that, find some more sensible friends.

It will always depend on how a kid is raised. We are 8 in the family but I must admit not all have good traits we have our bad/good traits.

When it comes to only baby, my baby is 19mo now yet she is already showing some traits..sharing, don't grab things when not hers, can wait, eager and others though she also have some other traits she bites when someone grabs what she have but give if they ask, don't come near a possible danger such as my nephew, when she sees food she wont grab or anything.

In the other hand, my sister and her DH and 2 kids are with us. My nephews always cries, throws food, yell at there parents, unrespectful, not sharing and others.

So,. it will not always end with just having one kid, It will always depend on how we raise them.

Well dd 2.9 is and will be an only, and we have taught her good manners and consideration for others from the off as any parent should. Early days yet, but at playgroup she is the one saying please and thank you at snack time, and offering to share toys with other children. Two other girls a very similar age, one who is one of 4 and the other one of 3 are ignorant and rude, pushing and shoving. But I don't think it has anything to do with family size, more parenting styles. Maybe with only one I actually have more time to make sure she is considerate?!

my son is my only child and since the moment he could talk he has been taught manners. he is 4 yrs old and everyone loves him. i know people with more than one child and i want to run screaming away because they have got away with murder and think they will with other people. it's all down to how the parent works not weather they have a brother or sister.

Have calmed down now about HT's remarks. They were in a letter from him acknowledging that she is leaving the school as she has had a really rough year there. I'm taking it that he's feeling rather bitter. We shall rise above it

Happy Orchid - I'm speechless with outrage at the comments your child's HT wrote. How dare he comment on your family set up in such a glib manner? And who cares whether he likes her or not? Really unprofessional.

I don't generally believe in complaining to schools (I'm amazed at what some parents will go in, all guns blazing, about) but if any HT made such remarks about my child I would complain. Even without the stereotypical, prejudiced remarks about being an only child, basing any assessment on what one imagines their home life to be like is sloppy and unprofessional.

I noticed some of these prejudices yesterday on a thread about having a second child. Some posters thought it was one's duty to have a second child, as a child without siblings would inevitably be brattish. Huh.

My CM had 6 children and they were fiercly miserly and possessive of their things/space

because they had to be or it'ld be pinched by a sibling if they took their eyes off anything for 5 seconds and I didn't have to worry about anyone sharing my stuff too much!

Its bollocks, there are as many inconsiderate spoilt non onlies but when they do it they don't say "ooo its because they're not onlies"

as the most materially spoilt children I grew up with were, again, the extrememly large families - they were the kids who destroyed presents in 5 mins of getting them and didn't value anything. I understand why the parents did go for more material gifts with lots of kids, its easier to be fair with gifts than with activities! but I got money spent on my education and hobbies rather than "stuff" as my parents didin't have to worry that there was another sibling who would expect the same in 2 years or whatever IYKWIM

I'm expecting no2 and am quite worried about the negative implications for DS of NOT being an only child and I feel guilt that he will loose his only advantages in life.

My DD is an only child and has been brought up to say please and thank you. She shares her toys and her sweets and is a very sociable child. She also has a fantastic imagination and plays happily on her own.

The last thing I want is for her to be a spoiled brat just because she is an only child, so I try hard to ensure that she isn't.

Only children are social misfits.Girls are bitchy and manipulative.Boys are born naughty.A close age gap means they'll be friends.Older mothers are patient but don't have the energy to run round the park and won't understand their teenagers.Younger mothers are lots of fun but always off out clubbing and neglecting their children.